This invention relates to an appartus for electroplating, and more particularly to an apparatus of the type in which a plurality of different articles may be placed in a container and immersed in a plating solution while the container is rotated to accomplish plating without commingling the articles.
This is an improvement over my previous patent entitled "Electroplating Barrel", which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,993 on Jan. 14, 1969.
Paddle wheel barrels of the type described herein are presently known and are used for plating different type articles within a single barrel-type device so that comingling of articles is avoided. Thus, where small articles are to be plated with a paddle wheel barrel, sorting of the articles is not necessary.
My invention is an improved paddle wheel barrel that includes a new electrical system and construction that can be easily replaced and maintained and it is more efficient in operation as compared to previous systems.
It is an important feature of the invention to provide a paddle wheel electroplating barrel that has an electrical system that can be easily connected and not only can current be fed from both sides of the barrel but also the barrel has a system which has been simplified for ease of replacement, and also more efficient electrical contact and electrical distribution can be achieved in a paddle wheel barrel in addition to providing simple and efficient means of maintenance and replacement of components.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved paddle wheel which can plate several different types of articles without commingling the articles with a replaceable and more efficient electrical system that includes a single central cathode contact member that is insulated from the chambers and has electrical contact therewith by means of contacting elements associated with each chamber whereby the central cathode contacting member as well as the contacting members can be easily replaced.
In order to provide an efficient system, it is a special feature of this invention to provide current conducting arms that are made of copper and encapsulated from the electroplating solution as well as being shaped to cooperate with the electrical system by being sized to be received by an encapsulating tube which in turn fits into and is received in electrical contact with the inside of the central cathode contacting member.
Other and further objects, advantages and features of my invention will become more readily apparent in the following description and accompanying drawings wherein similar characters or reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.